Wow!!! My first experience with VMC/Dish is horrible.

[TroyBoy]

Wow!!! My first experience with VMC/Dish is horrible.

I called VMC. They took my credit card # and gave me Dish number to call. The Dish guy tells me (under duress) that I could get the same deal from Dish if I asked for it.

The Dish installer comes out, takes one look at the expensive cable setup I paid for when I built the house two months ago, and wants to run his own cable ("I'll punch a hole here, and here, and..."). I had two RG6's run from my central junction to a J-Box on the South corner of the house, with a pull string.

I refused to let the installer start drilling since I feel I had the existing facilities in place. He calls his manager and comes back to tell me that they need a '32 switch' to use my two existing RG6's, and nobody can or will find a '32 switch'. I ask once more why he can't run more cable where the existing two are and he shrugs.

So off the installer goes. I call Dish and initially they are aghast. Then they call the 'hub' and even though they don't understand why the cable can't be run to use the existing facilities, Dish tells me tough twinkies. Then the Dish guy drops the bomb...

Because I didn't want to have my brand new house get carved up today, I will lose the discount offer which ended last night at 12 midnite! Now that is hardball, good for you Dish!!! So I ask Dish if their inability to have the correct equipment to do the job the right way costs me, not them, and they said 'uh huh'.

The installer was polite, the Dish guy on the telephone was polite. But no one could tell me why existing cable wouldn't work, without even looking at it. My neighbor has the same cabling infrastructure and he was given the same run around. So I asked how did he get the system installed? Then he dropped the bomb on me. It cost him a $100 bill given directly to the installer. Now if I had known that, I would be watchin' my Dish instead of getting steamed enough to spend a half hour blogging my adventure with Dish.

So, can someone tell me:
why this happened?
will VMC refund?
A good contact in the Riverside, CA area that can competently set up cabling so the Dish guy can come and attach the dish for me?

[DishDude1]

What setup were you going with? Alot of the newer Dish receivers require at least 2 runs to the receiver. If you were going with all single tuner receivers, such as 3 311's, then you could use a SW34, however dish will not give you one of those as a new subscriber, only a quad which would require as many wires as tuners you were connecting up being run into distribution point.

[James Long]

He should have been at least able to use the pull string to route whatever cables he deemed needed.

It would be nice to know what you wanted. It may explain if the installer was a complete idiot or just incompetent.

JL

[mboy]

That actually has nothing to do with VMC. They are really just the guys giving out the promo (that's whoI went thru). They have noithing to do with anything other then giving you codes to give to dish when u cal. Either Dish sent their own guys, or a contractor they hire to do the install.
Sucks, sorry to hear it.
My dish install went perfectyl a couple weeks back. They used some existing equipment that a former tenant had and even dropped a 4th run down at no extra charge for me.You must have had contractors and not Dish Network guys.

[jwwahly]

Wow :confused: And you already had a pull string thru for more wire :eek2: Sounds like someone didn't want to work and make any money that day :nono2: Hell when i run into this i am happy as a lark to run the wire :D Because the cust, went to such lengths to make it easy for any provider to run wire ;)

[TroyBoy]

Shortly after my last post, Dish Customer Service calls me (I was going to call and beg for some attention soon anyway) and apologizes for my recent bad experience. Within minutes I am made whole and have an installation scheduled for the coming weekend. The installation was completed in exactly the manner I requested and I am very pleased.

I went from bewilderment to ecstacy in one week. My thanks to Dish for treating me like valuable opportunity for a long term customer relationship, which I am sure it will become.

[retiredTech]

Glad To Hear That All Is Well!

[Kagato]

I know some poeple who do various DBS and Cable installs locally. Many of the DBS installers are totally indie. Some have been doing it for years and are really good at it, these are usually poeple who are experienced cable installers, but get much better pay for DBS. Others are third rate hacks who very little idea what's going on. Of course there are some professional companies out there that have well trained employees, company vans, nice equiptment, etc. Then there is some dudes who drives up in a rusty van with an even rustier ladder, and all the wrong tools.

This is not specific to Dish, as the same installers many times do DirecTV as well.

The one thing that cable has going for it is they do a lot of QC. Mind you they aren't QCing how good your PQ is, but they will check a larger number of installations to ensure grounding, mounting, tagging, and neatness is followed. If anything is wrong with the install they will dock the contractor for the entire install. As much as the cable company sucks, I do think that DBS installs are more likely to go wrong, just because of the nature of the business.